I do not believe in "God" as a sentient, omnipotent, or omniscient being- in fact I don't believe in 'God' as a 'being' at all. I believe that the Universe (Existence) is infinitely vast and intricate. Through studying the patterns in nature, I am fairly certain that Existence operates on what some call "organized chaos"; the universe is constantly changing and 'growing' in chaotic ways, but it follows patterns and systems that allow it to sustain itself. I personally am constantly aware of everything being a part of overall Existence, especially myself as I am the thing that I know best. I am amazed by it and find myself in constant wonder, inquisition, and awe. I think that what most people think of as "God" is just Existence as a whole. In that respect, we are all part of that "God". It makes sense, really: you exist, so you are part of existence. My personal speculation? Sentient thought in living organisms may be a very early part of the process by which the Universe is slowly becoming self-aware. Or rather, the development of organisms with sentient thought like ours may be the beginning of a process in which the Universe develops 'nodes' of perception within itself. I'd feel silly stating that our level of awareness is the highest that's been reached in the Universe. Maybe there are already other species who live in a state of constant Enlightenment, somewhere out there in the vastness of space. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. It's important to fully understand sentience, and what "Awareness" is and how there are varying degrees of it.

'Awareness' is something with multiple levels of obtainability. For example, my pet turtle has all of the perceptual senses that we do (and even a bit more), yet he doesn't recognize his own reflection, nor the limits of his own existence. He is constantly swimming against the glass in a vain attempt to get past it (The idea comes to mind that maybe in his perception he has achieved further movement and is not just swimming in place. It's hard to imagine how a turtle perceives such things). He knows when he is hungry, when his cold-blooded circulatory system needs a temperature change, and when a possible threat is presenting itself. Beyond that, his simple reptilian brain isn't capable of very much. Most likely, the idea that it has lucid thoughts (particularly of an existential nature) is probably merely a projection of our own ideas and concepts overlaid onto a function that we can't sympathize with nor do we fully understand. Dogs obviously have a heightened sense of awareness. They have all the same vital mental functions that the turtle has (although this one is warm blooded), and they still do not recognize themselves in a mirror (sometimes particularly smart ones seem to, but I'm generalizing here). But dogs do display emotions. They get attached to the presence of particular individuals (usually caretakers, but either way they recognize that it's easier to fare better with others as opposed to in solitude) and they can recognize other species as beings even without familiar pheremonal or predator/prey interaction. It's been said that most dogs have the intelligence of a five-year-old. I'd say that's a generally fare assessment and it contributes to the idea that their sense of awareness is inferior to ours. They might have more lucid thoughts than that of a turtle, but it's highly unlikely that they experience existentialism.

Finally, to really round off my explanation of Awareness is Humans. First off, all humans do not share a unanimous level of Awareness. Awareness is the consideration of everything around you and your relation to it. To many people, their lives only relate to the small little bubble that their lives take place in. They get hung up on trivial or petty things that on the big picture really just don't matter. A huge and crippling example of this is prejudice. In the big picture the things that cause prejudice are petty and small, but to those who hold it it's based on important dogmas that are inherent to their lives and the things they have been told- it's incredibly self-centered and detrimental to the quality and fulfillment of life. As sentient beings, we have the ability to increase our level of awareness- that's what sentience is- and it is the key thing that separates us from the turtles and the dogs and such. We are all sentient thoughts that have formed in this vast 'mess' that we call Reality. I think it's important to compel one's self to grow and increase their awareness beyond that of which their environment naturally endows. The peak of this is called "Enlightenment", which I believe is a moment where your sentience (or 'individuality'- more on that in the next paragraph) completely disassociates from your own life (ego), and instead associates with everything else. Not necessarily understanding everything in or about Existence, but having a clear and concise feeling of being a part of everything as opposed to just being the person you are who has lived the life that you have.

I think that what most people think of as the "Soul" is in actuality just our Individuality. If you think about it, everything about you is simply a single sentient thought that has been growing and learning and bouncing around off of all the things you have perceived throughout your lifetime. It originates and lives within the brain, and it is responsible for people's will, drive, dedication, and pretty much any other thing that people would attribute to the soul. Individuality is as unique as DNA, and it builds and grows as it experiences and perceives different things throughout life. I think it's a very real possibility that it dies with the body it originated in- but who knows? The Universe is incredibly complex, and so is Individuality. I'm not sure that anyone living is actually capable of saying for certain what happens to that Individuality after death. It might just be destroyed (as hard as that is for many to accept), or maybe something else happens that is scientifically feasible in a way that we do not yet understand. Most of the cultures that look inward in response to their existentialism tend to believe pretty strongly in reincarnation. These are the same cultures that hold a great deal of significance in "Enlightenment", so maybe there's something to it.

Again: Who knows? But there is a lot of fun to be had in trying to find out. We know that prayer is functionally ineffective anyway because for every person that gets what they pray for, there are a good few who don't. The only thing that will actually bring about your desired results are actions, and sometimes even then the situation may just be beyond your control (see "Butterfly Effect"- the concept, not the movie. Though you can watch the movie if you like- I strongly recommend the Director's Cut over the theatrical version). So take action in your own life. Maybe you don't care much for 'Enlightenment', but you can still try to spread your sense of Awareness as much as possible. Be good to others and be good to nature, taking only what you need from it. Remember that it's all part of the same Existence, and your life can be much more fulfilling.

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I leave you with two quotes from the venerable Albert Einstein. Though he himself came to doubt some of the directions from which he approched certain scientific principles, his genius and wisdom are incontrovertible:

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."

An alternate version of this quote states:

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish it but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of piece of mind"
--From a letter that has been dated February 12th, 1950.

"A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels."
--May 25th, 1946